Pune Crime Branch busts fake car insurance certificates racket

Police arrested two people including an IT engineer for creating bogus insurance certificates for vehicles

Property Cell sleuths from the Pune Crime Branch have busted a racket of bogus insurance certificates for vehicles in the city.

Police say many vehicle owners don’t buy insurance. After years when the vehicle has to undergo fitness tests, most are unable to pay insurance for all these years and try to find a middle path. At the RTO, some came in contact with agents who led them to the suspects. File pic

Police arrested two persons including an IT engineer on Monday and seized printing material worth Rs 10,000 from their possession.

Police say the two duped people by charging R1,200 for insurance papers of various companies for vehicles, but they created bogus certificates.

Police have identified the arrested suspects as Santosh Baburao Nalawade (32) and Firoz Vajir Shaikh (39), both residents of Yerawada.

They suspect the two had more accomplices, who are missing. Nalawade works as a real estate agent while Shaikh works as an IT engineer.

Acting on a tip-off received by Police Naik Deepak Kharat, a team comprising Assistant Police Inspector Sunil Gavali and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ajinath Wakse, laid a trap and nabbed Nalawade near Parnakuti chowk in Yerawada around 7 pm on Sunday.

According to police, many citizens don’t buy insurance after purchasing vehicles, for several years. After years when the vehicle has to be subjected to fitness tests, most of the people are unable to pay the insurance for all the years and try to find some middle path. While making the rounds of the Regional Transport Office (RTO), some came in contact with agents who led them to the suspects.

ACP (Crime I) Rajendra Bhamre said, “Investigations have revealed that the suspects duped people by charging R1200 for preparing bogus insurance papers of various companies for vehicles. We have seized the documents and cross-checked with insurance companies, and found they are fake.”